...whatever they do, they are still bashed unforgivingly in PEx and other UAAP forums...

...their own university barely supports them (financially and otherwise) yet expects so much from them (Final Four or else!)...

...they aren't even given complementary tickets to their own games! The players have to pay to get decent seats for their girlfriends and families.

...they practice more than 3 hours each day (I expect them to get burned out pretty soon) yet still seem lost come game time...

...their requests and opinions are totally IGNORED by school officials (e.g. recommendations for team building venues, uniform designs, team policies, practice schedules, requests for muse/courtside reporter/team manager, etc. etc.)...

...the alumni have forgotten about them completely...

fraternizer

07-15-2006, 09:22 PM

Poor Falcons...

Everybody loves a winner. Unfortunately, the Falcons have not been doing enough winning these past few years to beget a substantial amount of affection. The Trillo years were simply known for the sustained losing streak. The Alas experiment went awry (it also did not help that his first name started with an "M"). It has become a classic chicken-and-egg situation where the benefactors are waiting for results before pouring in more assistance and the team needs more support before it can make anything positive happen. Now, with a champion coach at the helm, expectations are actually higher, complicating the situation. I agree that it looks like a losing proposition, but it all boils down to what the team as a unit is willing to do in order to overcome the circumstances. Beyond talent they must show character.

kaybee07

07-17-2006, 09:53 AM

Paging AdU school officials...the Falcons trounced the NU Bulldogs yesterday in a convincing fashion! Hopefully you guys can provide the players with decent tickets in the upcoming games so they don't have to buy from the ticket booths anymore. Come on! That's the least you can do! Stop pocketing the tickets 'cause you don't even come to the games to support your team!

arhtmahn

07-20-2006, 01:03 AM

Paging AdU school officials...the Falcons trounced the NU Bulldogs yesterday in a convincing fashion! Hopefully you guys can provide the players with decent tickets in the upcoming games so they don't have to buy from the ticket booths anymore. Come on! That's the least you can do! Stop pocketing the tickets 'cause you don't even come to the games to support your team!

I'm very familiar with heckling players, coaches, managers, referees, table officials, pep squads and the opponents' galleries, but this heckling of school officials is quite new to me. Coming from a school forum moderator at that. Well, maybe it'll catch on.

kaybee07

07-20-2006, 09:31 AM

Paging AdU school officials...the Falcons trounced the NU Bulldogs yesterday in a convincing fashion! Hopefully you guys can provide the players with decent tickets in the upcoming games so they don't have to buy from the ticket booths anymore. Come on! That's the least you can do! Stop pocketing the tickets 'cause you don't even come to the games to support your team!

I'm very familiar with heckling players, coaches, managers, referees, table officials, pep squads and the opponents' galleries, but this heckling of school officials is quite new to me.* Coming from a school forum moderator at that.* Well, maybe it'll catch on.

The team needs support, arhtmahn. We've tried the gentle approach to no avail. The players did win as the school requested but nothing has changed..

According to our source from UE, they provide 40 complimentary LOWER BOX tickets to Adamson for each of their games for the players and team officials. None of these tickets ever reach the Falcons' hands. Instead, the school gives the team members one GALLERY ticket each. But there are lower box tickets available to them FOR SALE in case they want to buy some on-campus. :-\

bluewing

07-20-2006, 04:45 PM

baka diretso sa friendly neighborhood scalper yan. :(

Sam Miguel

07-20-2006, 08:57 PM

Let's take a look at what's happened to the Falcons the past decade or so.

I believe the last truly great Adamson team was the one that featured Kenneth Duremdes and Marlou Aquino. On that same team I recall they also had EJ Feihl, Jobet Pineda, Erwin Luna and Bong Dela Cruz. It was a very talented team that challenged yet another dominating team of that era, the Lasalle teams of Jun Limpot. After that it was one disappointing season after another. The Falcons simply could not come together as a team. Heck, Adamson's women's program has been far more successful than the Men's team in recent years.

As another member pointed out, the Luigi Trillo years were supposed to be a renaissance of sorts for the Falcons. Ken Bono was supposed to be the next great center of the UAAP. Ramil Tagupa was an underrated big pointguard. Mark Abadia was a certified college star player. Will Johnston was a do-it-all forward. Mark Agustin was a burgeoning and very talented power forward. Leo Canuday and Patrick Cabahug are dynamic guards. Rommel Hugnatan is a capable backup at the 4 and 5 spots. Trillo could hardly be called a coaching neophyte with four or five years at the helm.

So where did it all go wrong?

Tagupa and Abadia are gone. Trillo is gone now too. Johnston is now in the NCAA. Agustin is not the same given his injury last season. Bono is getting good numbers but his team is simply not winning consistently. They still have a lot of good players now providing a more diversified game with Mike Yong and Jun Pacheco providing athleticism and long-range shooting from the swing position. That Basilio kid is getting good minutes as a backup 5 and 4. marvin Poloyapoy has a bad do and a hard-to-say name but is admittedly an adequate guard. So Adamson still has a talented lineup.

Is Coach Leo Austria the man who will turn this collection of individual talents into a team ready to make a serious run at the Final 4?

I don't think this is a matter of the Admin and the Alumni pouring on the support. I know for a fact every that the Lady Falcons get nowhere near as much support as the Men's team. And if the Men aren't even getting that much support I don't even want to think about how little the Women are getting. And yet the Lady Falcons have won two of the last three UAAP championships. They've done it by playing as a solid unit, as a real team.

Perhaps Coach Vega should take a crack at coaching the Men's team.

Apocrypha

07-20-2006, 11:42 PM

I believe the last truly great Adamson team was the one that featured Kenneth Duremdes and Marlou Aquino.

Man, I remember seeing Duremdes shoot the lights out at the Blue Eagle gym. At one UAAP game I think he scored close to 50pts.

arhtmahn

07-21-2006, 01:13 AM

The team needs support, arhtmahn. We've tried the gentle approach to no avail. The players did win as the school requested but nothing has changed..

According to our source from UE, they provide 40 complimentary LOWER BOX tickets to Adamson for each of their games for the players and team officials. None of these tickets ever reach the Falcons' hands. Instead, the school gives the team members one GALLERY ticket each. But there are lower box tickets available to them FOR SALE in case they want to buy some on-campus. :-\

kaybee07, I take your word that your team needs more local support, but airing out dirty laundry is not the answer, agitation rarely is. I suggest that you use your position as moderator to build up more interest and sympathy for the team, especially from your student body. An onlooker like me may empathize with you, but I will still be in no position to effect any significant change, unlike those of you who can work from within the system.

kaybee07

07-22-2006, 08:44 AM

The team needs support, arhtmahn. We've tried the gentle approach to no avail. The players did win as the school requested but nothing has changed..

According to our source from UE, they provide 40 complimentary LOWER BOX tickets to Adamson for each of their games for the players and team officials. None of these tickets ever reach the Falcons' hands. Instead, the school gives the team members one GALLERY ticket each. But there are lower box tickets available to them FOR SALE in case they want to buy some on-campus. :-\

kaybee07, I take your word that your team needs more local support, but airing out dirty laundry is not the answer, agitation rarely is.* I suggest that you use your position as moderator to build up more interest and sympathy for the team, especially from your student body.* An onlooker like me may empathize with you, but I will still be in no position to effect any significant change, unlike those of you who can work from within the system.

I appreciate your opinion, arhtmahn. However, and I did consult with the team members before making their concerns public, the players have repeatedly spoken to the Adamson school officials about their concerns. They feel that the fact that no concrete action was taken by the university means that their pleas were ignored and the school remains indifferent to their needs. :'(

I have spoken to students who are also willing to support the Falcons but are also discouraged by the fact that they have to pay P150 to get decent seats for the games. Everybody wants to know where Adamson's complementary lower box tickets go every game? If the team doesn't get them and the students don't get them either than who does? ???

kaybee07

07-22-2006, 09:07 AM

Let's take a look at what's happened to the Falcons the past decade or so.

I believe the last truly great Adamson team was the one that featured Kenneth Duremdes and Marlou Aquino. On that same team I recall they also had EJ Feihl, Jobet Pineda, Erwin Luna and Bong Dela Cruz. It was a very talented team that challenged yet another dominating team of that era, the Lasalle teams of Jun Limpot. After that it was one disappointing season after another. The Falcons simply could not come together as a team. Heck, Adamson's women's program has been far more successful than the Men's team in recent years.

As another member pointed out, the Luigi Trillo years were supposed to be a renaissance of sorts for the Falcons. Ken Bono was supposed to be the next great center of the UAAP. Ramil Tagupa was an underrated big pointguard. Mark Abadia was a certified college star player. Will Johnston was a do-it-all forward. Mark Agustin was a burgeoning and very talented power forward. Leo Canuday and Patrick Cabahug are dynamic guards. Rommel Hugnatan is a capable backup at the 4 and 5 spots. Trillo could hardly be called a coaching neophyte with four or five years at the helm.

So where did it all go wrong?

Tagupa and Abadia are gone. Trillo is gone now too. Johnston is now in the NCAA. Agustin is not the same given his injury last season. Bono is getting good numbers but his team is simply not winning consistently. They still have a lot of good players now providing a more diversified game with Mike Yong and Jun Pacheco providing athleticism and long-range shooting from the swing position. That Basilio kid is getting good minutes as a backup 5 and 4. marvin Poloyapoy has a bad do and a hard-to-say name but is admittedly an adequate guard. So Adamson still has a talented lineup.

Is Coach Leo Austria the man who will turn this collection of individual talents into a team ready to make a serious run at the Final 4?

I don't think this is a matter of the Admin and the Alumni pouring on the support. I know for a fact every that the Lady Falcons get nowhere near as much support as the Men's team. And if the Men aren't even getting that much support I don't even want to think about how little the Women are getting. And yet the Lady Falcons have won two of the last three UAAP championships. They've done it by playing as a solid unit, as a real team.

Perhaps Coach Vega should take a crack at coaching the Men's team.

Hi Sam..

I'm impressed with the depth of knowledge you possess about the Falcons and I appreciate the time you spent going through the contents of this thread and contributing a very insightful post.

I will be the first to admit that the Adamson team is one that is riddled with numerous internal problems. The Falcons have long been the underachievers of the UAAP. Year in and year out they seem to win less games than what is expected of them.

I don't really remember saying that the lack of support by the university is the cause of our problems. What I believe is that the school's indifference to the team's concerns is one of our problems and an issue that is contributing to the low morale of the AdU players.

5FootCarrot

07-22-2006, 09:36 AM

I'm sure you're not alone in your concerns, kaybee. Maybe you can get together with the players' family and friends and any alumni you think could help and see if you can address some of the team's needs among yourselves, e.g., post-game meals or someone to reserve the court for their practices or something (depends on what the school already provides). I wouldn't know how to solve that ticket problem, though. Perhaps you guys can establish contacts with the Adamson admin to make sure that the tickets for the players go to where they're supposed to go? If the school isn't helping your team right now, maybe their friends and family can offer some assistance.

canmaker

07-22-2006, 12:57 PM

Or target prominent alumni and former players like Hec Calma (who can get corporate support), et. al. .....

Sam Miguel

07-25-2006, 05:49 PM

Great idea Canmaker. While you're at it why not go whole hog and enlist the help of Kenneth Duremdes and Eddie Laure, two of the most prominent Falcons now in the PBA. If you could get direct support from them through Coach Leo (lalo na si Eddie kasi I think nagabot sila ni Coach Leo sa Welcoat sa PBL) you would then have a direct source of support. Duremdes could help through Sta Lucia, Laure through Purefoods, Hec Calma through SMC. I think its time to face the awful truth that the Falcons must help themselves. Thery can get plenty of help from specific sources as mentioned. All they need is a trustworthy and competent representative.

Coach Leo may also want to ask help from other PBL corporations he's worked with. All you need is a plan and someone to spearhead it.

jaelanella

08-02-2006, 12:45 PM

or maybe there is only one person who keeps on making "reklamo" because her man is "she believes to be the star of the Falcons?"

5FootCarrot

08-02-2006, 02:24 PM

or maybe there is only one person who keeps on making "reklamo" because her man is "she believes to be the star of the Falcons?"
Since kaybee seems to be a Falcons insider, I'm assuming that she has some knowledge of what the team has to put up with in terms of lack of support, funding, etc. And from what I've read of her posts here, her concerns in this area affect the whole team and their families/close supporters, not just one player.

kaybee07

08-03-2006, 09:55 AM

or maybe there is only one person who keeps on making "reklamo" because her man is "she believes to be the star of the Falcons?"
Since kaybee seems to be a Falcons insider, I'm assuming that she has some knowledge of what the team has to put up with in terms of lack of support, funding, etc. And from what I've read of her posts here, her concerns in this area affect the whole team and their families/close supporters, not just one player.

Sorry for the delayed post, everybody. I took Carrot, Sam and canmaker's advice and sat down with the players and their families. We brainstormed to come up with possible solutions to the team's problems and this is what we've come up with so far.

There will be an '06 Falcons vs Alumni Falcons game at Adamson on the 15th. We will use this as an opportunity to reach out to the alumni and ask for their support. Kahit wala pa yung support from their companies, whatever funds they can pool together will be used for the team's immediate needs.

The ticket situation at this point seems hopeless so everyone has made a commitment to troop to the venues early and buy tickets there. Hopefully if we receive funds from the ex-players, we can use part of the money to purchase one lower box ticket each per player per game.

We also plan to use the funds for the players' meals (especially on game days), an extra set of game uniforms, and Mueller tape among others.

Things just may be looking up for our team. Thanks again everybody for your positive insights. :)

5FootCarrot

08-03-2006, 10:36 AM

That's great news, kaybee :) Congratulations and good luck!

MonL

08-03-2006, 10:44 AM

Sorry for the delayed post, everybody. I took Carrot, Sam and canmaker's advice and sat down with the players and their families. We brainstormed to come up with possible solutions to the team's problems and this is what we've come up with so far.

There will be an '06 Falcons vs Alumni Falcons game at Adamson on the 15th. We will use this as an opportunity to reach out to the alumni and ask for their support. Kahit wala pa yung support from their companies, whatever funds they can pool together will be used for the team's immediate needs.

The ticket situation at this point seems hopeless so everyone has made a commitment to troop to the venues early and buy tickets there. Hopefully if we receive funds from the ex-players, we can use part of the money to purchase one lower box ticket each per player per game.

We also plan to use the funds for the players' meals (especially on game days), an extra set of game uniforms, and Mueller tape among others.

Things just may be looking up for our team. Thanks again everybody for your positive insights. :)

But the efforts have to be concerted. There has to be an informal leadership group, at the least, to bring all pledges of support to concrete and focused implementation, such as an alumni support (“booster”) group. These people have to maintain communications with the team management and school officials with regard to team needs. That way, limited resources, if and when they do come, may be properly allocated to the team’s needs. Kung ayaw makialam/tumulong ng mamumuno ng iskwela,tell them to stay out of the way. *:P* *

Good luck. Your team has the tools to go far.

And in spite of what you may think, I DO think Ken Bono's got game. He just needs to get in better shape.

kaybee07

08-05-2006, 11:10 AM

Hi Mon..

Thanks for the advice. Tama ka naman eh. If nobody commits to helping the team then the fund-raising activity on the 15th will remain an isolated event and its limited funds will run out quickly.

I'm just wondering if the supporters of the other UAAP teams have encountered similar problems? Can you share your stories and what solutions you have come up with? Thanks! :)

Kaybee, don't be intimidated. I do believe that you have good intentions in asking for more support for the falcons. It's a good thing that you are asking for advice in how to go about things from people you perceive to be veterans in the game.

There will always be those who will fight for the status quo for reasons ranging from ignorance to lethargy. Just keep your motives pure, and follow the right advice (sometimes there is no option but to do trial and error to arrive at the best formula), and you will surely get results.

kaybee07

08-10-2006, 09:05 AM

Jaelanella, I didn't say that the players were posting their laments here. But they do check this site regularly and I am merely the tool they use to air their concerns. I get to talk to the team on a regular basis and all the stuff I post here are paraphrased from the players themselves. If it is true that you are close to the team as well then you should know that all the comments here are their valid concerns.

The true problem is not so much that the players (or their families, as you claim) have "star complexes" but that there is no equity between what the school demands of the team and what is given to them by the university. They will be contented with the little that is given to them if little is expected from them as well.

And if you are not aware I also started a new thread entitled "Many Thanks." Hindi naman po puro reklamo dito sa forum na ito. The team knows how to appreciate the acts of kindness shown by the Adamson community.

Mangstito thanks so much for the words of encouragement. It's true I can't please everybody but it's nice to know that even the littlest of efforts for boosting our team's morale are somehow appreciated by my fellow posters. :)

jaelanella

08-10-2006, 02:24 PM

Know what, we are actually both falcon supporters. what makes me react with your post is the too much reklamo with the adamson admin. hindi mo naman din napapansin yung mga small stuff na ginagawa ng admin for the players. well, mas madami kaseng demands na hindi natutugunan right? pero look, adamson is not that rich probably compared with the school you used to go to. but i believe, the admin naman is trying their best to give the things necessary for the team especially food, extra practice uniform which i positively know na nagkaron sila just lately.

i actually read the topic that you started about that "Many Thanks!" and I am glad about it.

easter

08-10-2006, 11:43 PM

This is probably one of the most interesting threads here in gameface and mind you there are mighty great ones at the moment. This one shows the struggles of a college team in their quest to get even just meager support from a community. When the time comes when Adamson becomes a UAAP power again, I hope I remember this thread. I think kaybee is doing a great job showing concern for the team and not only for a specific interest. Carrot and the others have great advice as well. Tama yung suggestion ni mangtsito na just keep your motives pure and I think everything will be all right.

May God Bless all your efforts kaybee! :)

kaybee07

08-11-2006, 06:32 AM

Jaelanella,

If the earlier posts came across to you as needless complaining then the players and I send our apologies. But we feel that it was this "tough love approach" that served as a call to action for the Adamson administration. For a long time we have tried to ask the school to provide for the team's needs but our pleas were ignored. It was when we started making these needs public via the internet that the help has slowly started trickling in.

Call us what you will, but it is the families and close friends of the team that served as the instruments to make it all happen. In your earlier posts you made it come across like the players' wives complained too much but you should have realized that these comments were made as a consequence of their own husbands' complaints to them.* What benefit will their families receive if the team's needs are provided for? This is all for the coaches and players, and in effect, for the school's improved image and standing in the UAAP. After all, they play in the tournament representing the university's name and defending its honor.

As a fellow supporter, it's a shame that you blame the Falcons' inner circle for wanting things to be better for the team. Instead of all of us working together for this common goal, we are pointing fingers and hurling insults at each other.

I feel you also contradicted yourself in your last post when you said na masyado kami nagrereklamo about the school's administration and hindi namin napapansin ang mga maliit na bagay na ginagawa nila for the team but you also noticed that mas madaming needs nila ang hindi natugunan. And if you did notice the new thread entitled "Many Thanks" then you shouldn't even have said that no one notices the small things the school has done for the team, hindi po ba?

You know, a school needs not be rich to provide for its team. May I use NU as an example? If you notice their basketball teams and pep squads have identical Nike sneakers which I heard were provided for them without any additional expenses by the university. This was donated to them by the alumni and other supporters of the Bulldogs. A team's needs can be provided for by a school without hurting its budget if other people get involved.

* * *

Easter,

Thank you for noticing this thread. This was started precisely for the purpose of making people aware of our team's struggles.

Good luck to us all!

FaLcOn 05

08-11-2006, 02:09 PM

kaybee, keep on doing what's best for the team and somehow everything will turn upside down...for the betterment of the team and for the whole univeristy.